Bio Meets Tech

Bio Meets Tech

The industrialization of biology has brought shorter development times, lower costs and broader possibilities. From AI in organism design and process automation to custom-made DNA and precision genetic tools, the new building blocks of synthetic biology are enabling the jump from the lab bench to factories, high-throughput development and mass production.

Rather than adding more tools to the toolbox, these new platforms are redefining what it means to build with biology. With less time and cost-intensive developments, it is certain that innovation is spreading faster. As a community we must make sure we are crafting the right building blocks to fix and improve our world – not only to overcome our current technical hurdles, but to continue shaping the way biology interacts with new disciplines to positively impact our lives.

Key Issues & Questions

AI, Deep Learning and Biological Automation

How is AI and deep learning being applied to the design and production of biological systems?

What are the latest trends in biological automation?

Low Cost Hardware as the Tools of Change

How is getting low cost hardware into the hands of the innovators disrupting the industry?

How can low cost hardware contribute to the decentralization of innovation in biology?

Is the demand for low-cost hardware creating new markets for existing industry?

CRISPR and Next Generation Gene Editing

How has CRISPR changed in the last 12 months and what’s in the pipeline for the future?

What does CRISPR 2.0 look like?

Go Big or Go Home (Scaling Up the Biofab)

How can startups avoid the pitfalls of poor scale up?

Does scale remain a bottleneck for the synthetic biology industry?

Measuring What Matters

What measurements are critical for the synthetic biology industry?

What precision tools do we lack in order to get to the next stage?

The data deluge: How are we turning data into knowledge?

Organism Engineering Platforms

What new organism engineering platforms will appear on the scene?

How fast are we able to expand our knowledge in model organisms and apply this to the engineering of novel chassis?

The Future of DNA Synthesis

What does the market for DNA synthesis look like over the next 10 years?

How can we enable decentralized DNA synthesis, or alternatively overcome operational hurdles to make custom DNA affordable for research and innovation worldwide?

SynBioBeta is the leading community of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and enthusiasts devoted to the responsible growth of the synthetic biology field. We’re dedicated to telling the stories of the field and companies involved, building their networks, and helping them grow.